Imagine, just for a moment, that the bicycle had not been invented. Imagine no mountain bikes, no racing bikes,
and no bicycle industry. Imagine no UCI: it’s easy if you try.
Now imagine that a global consumer product brand, such as Samsung, Ford, Philips or even Apple introduced a
new ‘consumer product for personal transport’. This small, light product takes less effort to use than walking, yet
travels 4 times the distance. It is beautifully designed, well made, easy to use, clean and desirable. Like a mobile
phone it is also affordable, within reach of anyone who appreciates its benefits; young and old, men, women and
children. This amazing product connects friends and family, work, home, school and shops. It is easier than
waiting for buses or trains and actually goes door to door (or take it along for longer journeys). It costs a fraction
of the cost of polluting petroleum powered products, so it breaks the monopolies of scooters, motorbikes and
even cars, as the only options for personal transport – no more queuing!
As well as all these advantages – it also delivers something even more valuable to its owners: health and fitness.
Unlike indoor fitness products, the user can take in surroundings and connect with other human beings - getting
from A to B can be fun.
This imaginary business case for a fun new ‘consumer product for personal transport, health and fitness’, by
global brands is compelling and totally true. This ‘must have’ product has a potentially unlimited market,
alongside consumer products such as mobile phones and microwave ovens.
So how can the bicycle industry reach the other 80%, the global consumer market?

Continuously innovates across a range of values,
low cost to high cost.

Innovation tends to happen mainly at the high cost,
premium end of the market.

Profitable across range of values, low cost to high
cost.

Most profit is in high cost products, low cost products
stuck in a ‘sell by price only’ ‘commodity trap’

Main Brands innovate to avoid the ‘commodity
trap’. By adopting ‘Innovation combined with Value’
(as leading Taiwanese Laptop and mobile phone
makers).
The industry is objective. There are no ‘microwave
enthusiasts’ or ‘mobile phone racers’ (if there were
they would probably be sent to mental hospitals).

‘Innovation’ is separated from ‘value’ and the ‘commodity
trap’ is accepted (eg spec’s and graphics dictated by
supermarket buyers)
The industry is less objective, sometimes with almost
religious zeal, we prefer to ‘convert’ non-users into
enthusiasts, like us.

The mass ‘blue ocean’ market has huge potential for the bicycle industry, here are some suggestions:
 Separate out the successful ‘sport and enthusiast’
part of the cycle industry from ‘consumer products’.
Develop this ‘bicycle as consumer product’ sector to
achieve massive potential growth and popularity.


This was done in the automotive industry 100 years
ago, when Ford introduced the Model T, for
everyone. The automotive industry now
concentrates on the mass market. Likewise prior to
Vespa scooters in the 1960’s, designed for everyone,
oily motorbikes were the only options.



Focus on the user benefits rather than the product. Empathise with the potential users (especially for
users from demographics who tend not to choose cycling). What would really improve their lives?

Innovate at the low cost ‘entry level’ of the market; this is many
people’s introduction to cycling and so vital for the industry. This
market is too important for the industry to leave to supermarket
buyers to design, specify, ‘badge engineer’. This is where real user
focused innovations should be, even Apple have beautifully
designed entry level iPods, for sale in supermarkets.



Cross fertilise people, ideas and innovations from other industries.
Employ ‘Blue Ocean’ people; women, non-enthusiasts, young
designers, they are the future.

Consumer products are designed and targeted for the vast majority of the
Entry level iPod – by Apple. Low cost, well
designed and available in supermarkets.
population, all users at all price points. Following this approach, the
potential for ‘consumer products for personal transport, health and
fitness’ aka ‘Bicycles’ is absolutely massive, we are only just scratching the surface.

Mark Sanders is an award winning, multi-million selling product designer. He works in the consumer
product industry and in the bicycle industry. www.mas-design.com